The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1887-03-17
A Judge of Real Estate.

Az Mr.. Raffensperger states that on the 30lh
of March he will sell the lots comprised in the
Villa Mitchell addition to the city of Tallahassee,
we know that our readers will be interested in
anything pertaining to the famous maker of real
estate sales, whose experience enables him to
put forth such positive announcement We
make the following extracts from a Northern
publication, issued over ten years ago, as illus
trating the sagacity in estimating real estate
which has made Mr. R. so successful dealer.
and which induces him to so confidently under
take the sale of the Villa Mitchell property:
Toledo's advantages having attracted Mr.
Raffensperger's attention, he established himself
there in 1864 He hung out his sign 10 Lenk's
Block and proceeded to study the situation as
carefully as wise general maps out battle.
He didn't stand on the curb stones and dcker,
nor curl up in his Office and wait for business to
come to him. He saw that the first thing to do
was to familiarze himself with the topography
Of the city, and this he mastered. He studied
the tendencies of business men in seeking sites
and the notions of those seeking residences. He
watched the city authorities in mapping out i'm
provements In short, he got the LAY of the
in any locality and give his reasons for it. Two
years after he went there Thirteenth street was
opened. When that portion running through the
land Of Maurice A. Scott was being valued in
the condemnation suit, M. R. Waite (now Chief
Justice of the United States) was Mr.. SIS at
torney and had Mr. Raffensperger called to give
his opinion of the value. Judge Fitch presided
and the present Judge Rouse was solicitor for
the city.
The old landowners and land-mongers had
been called by the solicitor and had given their
opinions of the value of the property by the
acre, their figures being very low, the estimate
Of one, and a venerable authority too, being as
low as $50 Young Raft" (adopling the famil-
lar name given him by his friends) pulled his ear
and rubbed his chin with some nervousness as
he was called to the stand, for he felt that
right valuation had not been given, and that to
confront the court and the jury and the real es.
tate men of the city with his honest opinion
might be fatal 10 his reputation. But when the
formal inquiry came for his estimate he firmly
replied Fourteen thou,an to seventee thou
sand dollars per acre" His figures were start
ling and made the solicitor bn nee in his chair
with surprise. True to his ready resources the
solicitor called Mr.. Raffensperger's attention to
the estimates of the old settlers who had pre-
coded him, and repeated their low figures, and
then asked him for the reasons for his astound-
ingly high figures. Without hesitation the wit
ness proceeded to orally figure the items and
narrate the facts respecting sales OF property in
that neighb0rhOOd, and as he would approach
the therefore" of his demonstration the solicit
or would frowningly interrupt him with an order
to give no rules or particulars except those with.
in his personal knowledge. Five times the wit.
ness approached his concl usions, and FIVE times
the solicitor silenced him, when the venerable
judge reminded the solicitor that he had asked
the witness to give his reasons for his estimate
Mr. Raffensperger was then allowed to proceed
M r>T thn haas shc.l VI
secured a verdict of $4,000 for his client. Just
$1,000 less than Mr.. Raffensperger's lowest
figures. Afterwards Mr.. Raffensperger was q
witness In condemnation suit Tor the branch
freight road of the Lake Shore and Michigan
Southern Railway in East Toledo. in which
damages were assessed at about $4,000. and his
estimate was within 500 Of the sum awarded.
These instances show how carefully Mr.. Raj
fensperger has studied the value of every foot
OF Toledo property and all the surrounding in.
fuenees likely to alter that value.
His first great enterprise In Toledo was the
sale OF 485 lots in Browns addition on the 10Th
OF October, 1870, amounting to $48,50O. On the
22d of the next month he conducted Lenk's
great SALE Though the enthusiasm Of the sale
on the first day was chilled by fierce storm Of
sleet the aggregate sales amounted TO $4,000.
The next year, In September, he conducted I'M
mense transactions Ia Columbus, and In October
OF the same year he manipulated 81 lots In
Utica, New York, which the owner had offered
to sell for 81, 200. but which, under his manage
ment, yielded $40 0o0 In April, 1874, he Was
engaged by q gentleman In Olutha, Kansas, and
sold 500 lots. In the next May he disposed of
an entire addition TO the city Of Mansfield, Ohio,
and on the day Of that transaction he sold q
$19 900 piece OF property in Toledo By telegraph.
In the same year he made second brilliant stroke
10 Utica and another in Janesville In the follow
Ing year he handled great enterprises In Phila-
delphia, Jsnesvllle, Wisconsin and Detroit. For
his services 10 Detroit he received = compensa-
tion Of $500.